Atlas teams head for DARPA Robotics Challenge
(Phys.org) —December 20 is a big day for teams competing in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge. The idea is to promote critical improvements in what robots can do to help out in disaster relief efforts, when human intervention is unsafe and time is of the essence, such as nuclear power plant disasters, oil spills, and wildfires. The challenge is for robots to be agile and responsive enough to move through such disaster zones and do needed rescue tasks. Enter Atlas, the six-foot two, 330-pound robot developed by Boston Dynamics. As part of the contest, DARPA has been furnishing some of the teams with Atlas units. The teams are expected to come to Florida prepared to put their Atlas robots through tough paces. The Atlas factor in the competition is interesting because it calls upon team scientists and engineers to give their robot its "brains." In...